Beyond the Galaxy
by Nikaya
Summary: A series of Klance one-shots for VLD! Now playing: Unrequited - based on @/catneylang's latest klance art!
1. Hands

" _Fuck!_ " followed by a loud bang was what Lance heard as he was walking back to his room.

He raised an eyebrow at the sound coming from his teammate's bunk across from his own. He could just go back to his room and pretend he hadn't heard anything, but Lance was concerned. It wasn't in him to just not care.

"Keith…?" he called with a knock on his door. "Everything alright in there?"

"No!" came the muffled response from behind the door. "I mean – yes, I'm fine!"

Lance quirked his eyebrow again. "You don't exactly sound _fine_ ," Lance replied.

"Go away Lance," Keith practically hissed from the other side.

That was enough for him. Lance raised his palm to the censor on the doors and they slid apart easily. The room was dark, save for some emergency lights by the bathroom door. Lance looked over to the bed where Keith sat, one leg propped up with the other on the floor. There was glass shattered on the floor.

"Hey man," Lance said, stepping forward. "What happened?"

"I told you to go away," Keith said in a quiet voice. He didn't tell Lance to leave or turn away. But his back was to the other boy.

As Lance approached, he could see that Keith was nursing his right hand with his left. Lance tried to make eye contact with Keith under his hair, but Keith didn't look up. "Can I see your hand?" he asked.

Keith made no motion to pull away, so Lance took that to at least mean it wasn't a no. He reached out and pulled Keith's hands away from his body. He had a sharp intake of breath.

It wasn't the blood that had made Lance react that way. No…. It was the gnarled purple look of Keith's hand. His fingers stretched out at odd angles and bruising littered them.

Keith retracted his hand into his chest. "I know; it's awful."

"No," Lance said, calmer now. "I didn't mean it like that. It just looks painful. Have you gotten it checked out since…?" He let the question hang in the air.

"This happens sometimes," Keith said quietly. "I don't think it'll ever be the same."

Lance was quiet for a moment. "You haven't told anyone."

Keith shook his head. "The Blade of Marmora don't believe in the whole 'no man gets left behind' thing. If they knew…."

Lance put it together. "You wouldn't get to be a Blade anymore."

Keith nodded.

"Hang on," Lance said, standing up. He walked out of the room, saying "Be right back."

A few minutes later, Lance reappeared with an ice pack and bandages in hand. He came back to sit on the bed next to Keith, holding out his hand. Keith eyed it for a moment before giving his hand over to Lance.

Lance carefully took his hand and slowly pulled out the shards of glass. Then it occurred to him. "What did you break?" he asked.

"Dropped," Keith clarified. "It's hard to hold things sometimes."

Lance nodded but didn't press him.

Keith sighed. "It was a picture of my dad."

Lance stopped working on Keith's hand for a moment to look up at him. "I'm sorry." was all Lance could manage. He had an entire family back in Cuba waiting for him. How was he supposed to understand someone whose father died and had only recently been reunited with his mother? Even Shiro was gone now.

"He was a fireman," Keith said. "He died when I was still a kid. I guess Shiro is the only family I've had for a long time."

Lance was stunned that Keith was talking about this, but he didn't say anything for fear of making Keith stop.

"Firemen don't have partners or anything, but they do have someone watch their back on a job," he continued. "The Blade of Marmora isn't like that. The mission comes above all else. If you die on the job, you knew what you were getting yourself into."

"And you don't want that anymore," Lance figured.

Keith sighed. "Now that I've met my mom again, and I'm here with the team… I don't want to lose that."

"You don't have to," Lance said quickly. "In fact, you never missed anything for us, at least." Lance said with a chuckle.

Keith shook his head. "I guess not," he conceded.

Lance realized that he had finished bandaging Keith's hand but was still holding it in his own. He swallowed thickly before reaching for the icepack and held it on Keith's hand. He got some more bandages and wrapped it to stay in place.

Keith reached up and stretched out his hand, testing the weight. He smirked, only with the very edge of his lips, but it was enough to make Lance smile.

"Let me get this cleaned up for you," he said, getting off the bed and bending over the broken glass on the floor.

"Lance, it's fine. I'll get it later."

"No, I don't want you to ruin my handiwork," he said, collecting the shards carefully into a bag. He picked up the picture and set it aside on the bed, then looked up.

Keith was looking down from the bed, watching Lance work when their eyes met. Lance was gaping at him ever so slightly.

"Lance," Keith breathed his name, seemingly struggling with the effort.

The said boy raised his eyebrows at the on sitting over him. "I just wanted…." He left the thought hanging in the air. The intensity with which Keith was rooting him to the spot now was enough to make Lance bite his bottom lip. Keith's hair was disheveled, Lance guess from his earlier frustration and tearing at it. He wanted so badly to reach out and smooth it down, but Keith was still watching him. As usual, Lance couldn't read the other's expression, so he just waited rather impatiently.

Then Keith did something that took Lance's breath away. With his uninjured hand, he reached out and cupped Lance cheek in it, pulling him closer. Lance dropped the bag of glass he was holding and leaned into Keith's touch, mesmerized by his stare.

They were close enough now that Keith rested his forehead onto Lance's, his hand the only thing between them, blocking his now-closed eyes from Lance's view. He wanted to push them out of the way but even his breathing was still now.

Their noses brushed each other's for only the briefest of moments. Then Lance noticed; Keith was crying. That was enough to give Lance the semblance to reach out and brush the hair away from Keith's face first and then the tears with a gentle finger. Keith's breathing was uneven as it blew in Lance's face and he shivered from the proximity. But he wanted to do more to help him. "It's alright," he whispered, reaching his hand up to Keith's shoulder to squeeze it. But it wasn't enough. Then he slid his hand up and through Keith's hair, resting it on his head.

Keith finally opened his eyes, and he locked Lance in place with his gaze. Without warning, he closed his eyes and the distance between them.

Fire. Keith's lips on Lance's own were burning. He was rough on him, and Lance let out a noise of shock at the suddenness of it all. But he didn't want whatever Keith was doing to stop.

Lance practically melted into Keith's touch as the other boy ran his free hand from Lance's arm up to his shoulder and then cradled his neck. Lance let himself be beckoned by Keith's touch, and never losing contact with his lips, he raised himself up onto the bed.

Big mistake.

Keith was on him in an instant. He practically pounced onto Lance's chest, making Lance groan with air forced from his lungs. But he still reached up and wrapped his arms around him as Keith let himself go. He was kissing Lance's neck and biting on his ear before he could stop himself. And _God_ , Lance hadn't known what heaven felt like until now. He let small noises escape him before realizing his error.

Keith had been holding himself up on Lance with his hands, and Lance was sure he was hurting. So Lance pressed Keith close to himself and flipped Keith onto his back with relative ease, resting his head on his own pillow. They were both breathless when they pulled apart to look at each other before it was Lance's turn to make Keith happy for once in his life.


	2. You're Okay

"Blue," he whispers, clutching his chest as he folds in on himself, "My heart hurts," he whispered. He inhaled sharply. "I think I broke it."

"Lance?" came Keith's gravelly voice on the other end of the comms. "Lance, what's wrong?"

"I… I can't…." he started heaving for air audibly through the comms unit.

"I'm on my way," Keith said, jumping out of the chair of the Red Lion.

"Keith! Where are you going?" Shiro called.

"Something's wrong with Lance," he said, breathless as he ran to the bay doors. "I gotta get to him."

"We're in the middle of a battle!" Pidge yelled. "You'll be a sitting duck without your Lion!"

Keith ignored him and ejected out of Red with his jet pack.

"Okay… now what?!" Hunk yelled.

"Everybody get over to Red and Blue," Shiro ordered. "We have to get their Lions back to the Castle."

While the others maneuvered around the Galra fleet as the fight came to a close, Keith approached Blue, visibly starting to shut down. Keith felt his stomach crawl up into his throat. "Lance, come on…."

No answer.

Keith approached the bay doors of Blue and slammed into the entrance pad, opening the doors and flying inside. They closed behind him and as the gravity around him settled, he ran as fast as his legs could carry him to the cockpit.

"Lance!" he yelled as the door to the cockpit slid open. He ran to the chair and saw that Lance's head was lolled to the side as his chest heaved for air.

He looked up through heavily lidded eyes, his skin clammy and pale. "Keith…?"

Keith kneeled down and pulled Lance's helmet off. He put a hand to his head, feeling his glove dampen with sweat from the touch. "Guys, something's wrong with Lance. We need a healing pod, _now_."

Keith felt a weak grip on his other hand. He looked down – startled – and saw that Lance was trying to grab him. "I… can't… I can't breathe…." he wheezed.

"What happened?" Keith said, his voice strained.

"I don't… I don't know…." Lance said. "I… I couldn't see… I couldn't see Red. I… I thought something happened…." He trailed off.

Keith's eyes widened. "This is my fault," he said through gritted teeth.

"No," Lance said as forcefully as he could muster. His eyes grew wider from the strain and Keith gripped Lance's hand tighter. "I… I think I was… _scared_."

"Guys?" Hunk called. "What's happening with Lance? Is he okay?"

"I think… I think he's having a panic attack," Keith realized. He pulled his own helmet off as he saw the other Lions approach, pushing Blue back to the Castle of Lions. He looked back down to Lance. "Lance, I… I'm here. What can I do?" he asked, holding Lance's hand firmly in his grip. He had _zero_ idea of what to do. He'd never had to comfort someone else like this.

Lance's breathing started to slow down but his breaths were still shallow. He lolled his head to lean into Keith's shoulder. Keith's chest tightened at the closeness, but Lance seemed to smile. "That's… enough," he said.

Keith held Lance's hand with one of his own with the other smoothing Lance's clammy forehead and pushing his head back with the other. "You're okay…" Keith whispered, "we're okay."


	3. Klance Frozen AU

"K-Keith…." came his voice from across the ice. Keith could see from here that he was already shaking and his hair had turned white.

"Lance…." he said, eyes wide. He walked in Lance's direction, careful not to slip. When he realized how much traction he had, he picked up his pace as Lance slowly shuffled toward him. He reached Lance just before he shook so hard he slipped, Keith catching him in his arms. Keith turned him over and held him close.

"I-I… had t-to… bring S-Shiro home," Lance said, still shaking.

"I know. It's alright," Keith said, trying to keep his voice even. Then he looked up. "Where is Shiro?"

"I… I e-escaped," Lance said, his breath forming a puff of air in front of Keith.

Keith pulled him closer, protectively but trying to keep him warm. "Escaped? From who?"

Just then, Shiro could be seen running away from the castle. Someone chased behind him on the ice.

"Shiro!" Keith called. "Lance, who's coming for him?" he asked in a panic.

"H-Help me up," Lance insisted, struggling in Keith's grip.

Keith grimaced but agreed and got Lance back to his feet.

Lance looked around to see Shiro fall just feet away from where they stood, Lotor just behind him. "Shiro!" he yelled and started to run from Keith to where Shiro sat on the ground, refusing to use his powers against Lotor.

"Lance!" Keith yelled, and after his momentary disbelief, took off after Lance.

Keith's breath stopped as he watched what unfolded in slow motion.

Lotor lowered his blade over Shiro's head. Lance ran on the ice, using the slick surface to slide between them, reaching out below Lotor. As the steel descended, Lance's hand turned white, the ice creeping its way over his hand, up his arm and over his body. In seconds, Lance was a statue of ice.

"No!" Keith yelled, running as fast as the ice would allow. He approached them but then slowly reached out to Lance's shoulder. He wasn't just covered in ice; his body was completely changed to ice. He grasped onto Lance's shoulders, clenching his teeth to hold back a sob.

"What have you done?" Shiro shot at Lotor.

"What have I done? I think the question is what have you done?" he sneered at Shiro. The man in question recoiled under the other's gaze.

"How dare you?" Keith yelled back. "Lance saved Shiro's life! And all Shiro ever wanted was to be accepted, and Lance did no matter what! You caused this! You monster!"

Lotor's expression started to change.

Keith smirked. "That's right, you should be scared! The whole kingdom will know what you did to its prince if I have anything to say-!"

"Keith," Shiro interrupted firmly.

He turned his head away from Lotor to look back at Shiro and Lance. The wind was knocked out of him.

Slowly, light began to spread over Lance from his toes, up his legs and over his body. It finally reached his head, and he breathed in deeply.

"Lance!" Keith shouted, once again grasping him as the other slumped into his arms. He breathed out, realizing, "An act of true love."

"What?" Lance said slowly, coming to his senses.

"You saved me," Shiro said, putting a gentle hand on Lance's shoulder as he stood. "Thank you…." He turned to face the castle, a look of determination on his face. "I know what I have to do." Stepping forward and planting a foot on the ice, Shiro reached out, magic coursing around him, melting the ice around them.

As the boat rose up beneath them, Keith steadied Lance by his shoulders, and the two bumped foreheads as it tilted, making them both chuckle, red on their cheeks.

Lance looked up at Keith through his eyelashes. "You came back for me."

Keith's voice was low and husky from the emotional strain he'd just been through. "Always."

Lance's face broke into a smile as tears brimmed at the edges. He lunged forward and wrapped his arms around Keith. Although taken by surprise, Keith reciprocated the embrace, burying his face In Lance's shoulder.

"I'm so glad… that you're okay," Keith said, a little shakily.

Lance pulled back to read Keith's expression for only a moment. Then Lance's arms were around Keith's shoulders and neck as he pressed a kiss to his lips.

Keith made a small noise of surprise before settling into the moment, pulling Lance closer.


	4. Unrequited

"Not now, Keith."

Lance continued down the hall, his polished shoes clacking on cold tile. It was dark in the halls of the Garrison at the early hours of the morning. Lance's eyes continued to scan the words on the tablet in front of him as he forced himself forward.

"Will you please just talk to me?" Keith pleaded as he picked up his pace. "You know, I thought we'd gotten past the whole 'rival' bullshit." he tried teasing.

Lance's eyes narrowed but never left the tablet, only its light glowing on his hardened expression.

"I don't like you like this. You're not acting like yourself."

Lance's eyebrows completely pressed together as he stopped dead in his tracks. He brought the tablet down to his side, casting his face in shadows. "What do you know about how I act? You were gone, Keith."

Keith's lips formed a thin line. He licked them. "I was," he admitted, his voice taught.

Lance took a step forward, jabbing a finger into Keith's chest, his breath hot on Keith's face. It took all of the latter's willpower to keep from doing something rash - what kind of passion was hard to say with how hot his own face now felt.

"So why do you give so much as a shit about how I act? Why are you acting like that?" His mouth twitched slightly as the joke formed on his lips. "Gone soft on me, Kogane?"

While Keith practically gawked at devilish way Lance's face tore through him, Lance's expression started to shift back to frustration as quickly as it had dispersed. "Whatever." he said, waving his hand as he turned on his heel.

"Wait!" Keith called through a whisper. This time, he couldn't stop himself.

He took a step closer to Lance's turned back and slipped his hands around his waist.

Lance's eyebrows lifted as he craned his neck to look back at his leader, his lips parting with an escaped breath.

Keith couldn't bear to meet Lance's eyes, instead burying his nose into Lance's shoulder when he felt his head turn. "Don't go." he muttered into Lance's uniform.

The current Red Paladin's expression shifted; his eyebrows knitted together. "Keith-"

"I won't leave," the Black Paladin asserted, his own voice rough. "I won't leave you again," he amended.

Lance waited. When nothing happened, he turned in the other man's hold to face him. He searched his eyes for any hint of betrayal.

Only Keith's dark eyes gave away nothing. He lifted his hands to Lance's shoulders. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry I left. I'm sorry I left you." Finally - in the dim light of the device in Lance's hands - Keith's eyes glazed over just before small tears spilled over. "Please," his whispered, "don't shut me out. Don't let what we have…" Keith swallowed and dropped his hands from Lance's shoulders, to rub one elbow with the opposite hand. "What we had … disappear forever."

A knot twisted at Lance's chest before dropping and settling in his stomach. He pinched his lips together and bit down on the bottom one.

They stayed like that for what felt like an eternity to Keith. But he would wait. He always would. One of the few virtues Keith believed he had truly mastered was waiting. He waited two years to come home. He waited another year to come home to Earth. He could wait for Lance. When he was ready, Keith would be there.

And there he was.

Lance dropped the tablet and cupped Keith's face between his hands. "You better keep that promise."

Lance pulled Keith's face down to his own lips, chasing his hair away as his fingers wound though it. Lance's relief quickly outweighed rational thought as he found himself nipping at Keith's mouth, dancing his tongue against the other Paladin's lips.

Keith's physical response was fueled by desire. He accepted every touch, every test, every taste, everything new and so utterly Lance with gratitude.

When they parted, Keith's eyes remained closed for a fraction of a second longer than Lance's as he sighed.

"Huh… even you can't resist Loverboy Lance, huh?" the Red Paladin said shakily with a hand rubbing the back of his neck and face flushed.

Keith chuckled with a hand over his mouth, recomposed himself, then sighed gently as he ran a hand through his disheveled hair. "You are the one that said 'The Mullet' is 'like… the future'."

In spite of himself, Lance laced his fingers between Keith's half-gloved ones. "I did, didn't I?"

Keith's mouth tilted up and revealed the sharp edge of a tooth. "So you remember that… but not the bonding moment?"

"Are you kidding-?"


	5. Keith's Knife

Keith heard a grunt coming from inside the training room as he approached with a towel draped over a shoulder, a water bottle in one hand, and his bayard in the other.

He pressed his hand to the panel and - to his surprise - he found Lance - not Shiro - training against the bots.

"Level two training complete," said the overhead female voice.

"Ha, nice!" Lance said to himself, wiping some sweat from his forehead.

Something about the sight made Keith hesitate to make a snide comment. He swallowed before making himself known. "Not bad, Sharpshooter."

Lance's head turned and he smiled in Keith's direction. "Oh! Hey!" he said, heading toward the bench. "I was just finishing up for the day; the room's yours."

Keith quirked a thick brow. "No, stay," he said.

Lance pulled the towel off his face. "Yeah?" he asked, smirking.

"I mean, if you want to," Keith said, facing away from Lance, face burning as he put his own stuff on the bench. "We could… spar or something."

"You're on!" Lance said, tossing the towel back to the bench. He brought up his bayard and let it grow back into the broadsword.

Keith smiled as he stepped forward.

Lance noticed something glinting when Keith approached. She smirked again and gave him a fingergun. "You got a flashlight in the back of your pants or something?"

Keith's eyes widened for a brief moment as he reached behind him and felt what was there. "Oh," he said, casually pulled out his Blade of Marmora knife. "You mean this?" he asked. He enlarged the blade in one hand and enlarged the bayard in the other.

"Oh come on! How is that fair?" Lance squeaked.

Keith chuckled. "Fine, fine," he said, minimizing the knife and reaching to store it.

"Actually, wait," Lance said, stepping forward. He held out a hand. "Can I feel it?"

"My knife?" Keith asked. He brought it forward again, studying its blade. "It won't enlarge unless you're Galra."

"I know that; I just wanted to feel it. I've only ever used my two guns and the Altean broadsword. I wanted to try it."

Keith shrugged. "Sure," he said, spinning the hilt toward Lance.

Lance beamed as he gripped it. "Huh."

"What?"

"It's heavier than I expected it to be," he said, turning it over. He side-eyed Keith for a second before flipping it over, facing the blade down, the way Keith typically held it. "Oooh, look at me! I'm Samurai Keith!" He swung the knife in the air with surprising grace to Keith's bewilderment.

"Very funny," Keith said, folding his arms in front of him.

"Oh, I'm the funniest!" Lance said. "Watch me."

Keith tilted his head to one side. "What are you-?"

He was cut short by Lance suddenly showing some seriously effective knife-wielding stances. He swung with power and accuracy, but his movements were never jagged and always flowing into one another. It was like watching dance, albeit a precise, deadly one.

When Lance was done moving, he posed in front of Keith in a crouched stance, heaving for air. Sweat trickled down the sides of his face, dampening his hair ever-so slightly. "So? How'd I do?"

Keith stared. He blinked once. Twice.

"Keith?"

"Huh?" He coughed. "Oh, uh… that was good," he said. "Just…" Keith moved forward and stood behind Lance, leaning over his back. "Keep your eyes up," he said, tilting Lance's chin up so his own was resting on the other's shoulder. "And try to keep your free hand up here." He moved Lance's free hand closer to Lance's face. "That will help you block better."

"Right… yeah," Lance said as he held the position, Keith's left hand still holding his free one up and his chin cradled in his right. "And as comfortable as this position is…." Lance started.

Keith furrowed his brows in response despite Lance unable to see from that angle.

Then Lance used Keith's awkward position to pop his back out and flip Keith over his left shoulder.

Keith hit the ground on his back letting out an "oof" as he made contact. Lance had him pinned under him in the next breath. "I like the view better from up here."

Keith was _very_ aware of Lance's new position: his knife was under his jaw, his waist straddled by Lance, and said Paladin's breath on his face.

Keith could no nothing but stare at Lance, red and wide-eyed.

Lance laughed and leaned back to stand. He held out his free hand to Keith who took it and pulled himself up. "Took you by surprise, huh?"

"Yeah," Keith admitted as his stomach turned back over. He smiled then crouched down, taking out his bayard. "Let's spar."


	6. Sacrifice

When Honerva comes to Earth with a ship and the Robeast, things play out differently: Keith tries and fails to negotiate when Lance knows something is wrong with the exchange. Klance fix-it post season 7!

* * *

"Keith, don't-!" Lance's words came out forced and choppy. He swallowed as Keith turned to face him, his eyebrows pinched together as he stared back at Lance just as hard. Lance reached out and gripped his leader by the wrist, making Keith's mouth open in response. "This is exactly what they want, to separate us - to separate the team," he amended. "You can't do this alone."

"I have to," he said, more forcefully as he gently pulled his wrist back. "I'll come back. We'll talk, and we'll fix this." He gave Lance a small smile. He turned his gaze to the rest of the team. "I'll fix this, and I'll be back soon enough."

"Keith, if I may," Allura stepped forward. "You've grown into a fine Paladin and - more importantly - our strong leader. However, I have to ask that I come with you. You need an Altean to make peace with other Alteans. Honerva is also so far out of the realm of reality that you can't hope to reason with her."

"The Princess is right," Shiro said. "I might not be a Paladin anymore, but I don't like your odds here. Please hear us out."

Keith turned to Shiro and Allura, glancing to Pidge and Hunk. "I've let you all down before. I'm not going to do that again," he said firmly. He turned back to Lance. "I'm sorry. I have to do this." He turned away from them all and started forward, away from the group. He looked up to the massive ship hovering in the air above the Garrison. "Honerva, I agree to your terms."

"Very well," she called through a sound system from the ship.

Seconds later, a bright light shot down from the ship and surrounded Keith.

Lance couldn't stand it any longer. He gritted his teeth and ran forward, an arm outstretched. "No!"

His arm passed through air as the light receded up into the ship, the Red Paladin gone with it.

* * *

"I'm glad you've agreed to talk," Honerva said, a sickly smile crawling up her sunken cheeks.

Keith remained frowning. "What are your terms?"

"No terms," she said quickly. The Altean colonists stood around her and at the helm of the ship. Keith could see the Lions perched on the ground below, waiting for a signal of distress. She stepped forward, making Keith's body tense up. She was a head shorter than him, her shoulders back, and her eyes glowing with an unnatural yellow light in them. Keith grimaced as she approached, remembering everything she had set in motion: Emperor Zarkon's search for quintessence, Lotor's formation of the colonies, and finally the destruction of the universe and the racism toward the Galra… all started with her. Stopping in front of Keith, she reached out a hand and turned it over. In her palm, she had fit a vial with glowing blue fluid. She smirked up at Keith, her lips curling back as she spoke. "Drink this, and the Alteans will leave Earth."

Keith stared at the bottle. _Quintessence._ He could only let his mind wander as to what _drinking_ that vial would do to him. He shook his head. "What about the rest of the universe? You aren't guaranteeing their safety and freedom."

She glanced back briefly at her small council. One of them, a woman that looked no older than Keith, nodded. Honerva turned back to Keith and chuckled for a moment. "We can discuss that once you agree to these terms… _or_ …." She gestured to the Garrison behind her out the window below. The Garrison sat in the shadow of the Altean Robeast, _the_ single strongest force Voltron had _ever_ attempted to fight… and _lost_. She turned back to Keith. "Do we have an agreement?"

Keith clenched his teeth and he stared back down at Honerva's hand. He slowly reached out and gingerly picked up the vial with his index finger and thumb. He brought it in front of his face, studying the viscous liquid that swirled and glowed with energy. He could feel its warmth through the glass. He warily eyed Honerva one more time. He popped the cork off with his thumb and threw the liquid to the back of his throat, throwing his head back. With another grimace, he swallowed.

Immediately, Keith's eyes widened as he fell to his knees. He cried out in pain as he gripped and clawed at his own throat. Tears startled to pool in his eyes as his coughed and gasped for air. _Burning… burning_ … was all he could register. He clenched his eyes shut as his head began to swim.

He could barely register the sound of Honerva's footsteps and she knelt in front of him. He couldn't resist her when she took his chin in one hand and tilted his head up. "How do you feel?"

Keith growled as he fought to stay conscious. He felt the sweat run down the back of his neck as his hair dampened and stuck to his forehead. "What… did you… do to me?" he ground out the words as he began seeing red.

"Allow me to pose you a question as it takes effect," she said. She gripped his face harder, forcing him to open his eyes and look down at the Lions. "Will it be the one in the Blue Lion, _former_ Altean Princess Allura? What about the Green Paladin? The brains of your group? Or how about Yellow? Your backbone, your logical one? Or… oh _yes_ , the Red Paladin…. What was it you called him? _Sharpshooter_? Which one will come to save you? Which one… will you kill for me? They can't win without one… especially you, and especially if your broken from your own doing. So… who will it be?"

Keith roared and he pulled away from her and gripped his head. Already on his knees, he circled his arms over his face as he heaved for air. Then, the heaving came out raspier and shallower. They turned from forceful breathing… to laughter. Slowly at first, then maniacal. Keith looked up, and opened his eyes. They burned a sickly yellow, tell-tale of his Galra half. His body began to shimmer in a blue light, sparks flying off of him before fading out. His lips curled back in a sneer, revealing the sharp edge of a tooth. "All of them."

* * *

"He's been gone way too long!" Lance practically shouted to the others.

"You need to give him some time," Shiro said. "He's surrounded by enemies and alone."

"Then we shouldn't have let him go!" he yelled, flailing his arms in front of him. "He needs us!"

"Lance," Allura said, placing a hand on his shoulder. "We're all worried about Keith, but it was the only way to negotiate under the circumstances…." she said, side-eyeing the Robeast still looming its shadow over the Garrison grounds.

Lance grit his teeth and looked around at his teammates. Hunk had his arms ever-so-slightly forward as if gently offering a hug. Pidge pushed up her glasses and crossed her arms with a sigh. Allura's eyes were still trained on Lance, her hands folded together. Shiro had his hands on his hips as he stared up into the sky. Lance turned around and saw Krolia with her eyes downcast, vaguely feeling through Kosmo's fur.

Lance's eyes widened. He sucked in a breath and ran further out to the grounds, full-tilt.

"Lance! What are you doing?" Shiro shouted after him.

Lance whistled. "Kosmo! On me!"

The space wolf immediately perked up and started to bound toward Lance, practically flying past the rest of the Paladins. He caught up to Lance in seconds and nearly passed him, but Lance slipped his hand into his fur, and shouted, "Take us up!" There was a small flash of white sparkles, and the two were gone.

"Lance!" Hunk yelled.

Pidge pinched the bridge of her nose. "Oh quiznak."

* * *

The next breath Lance took was stale. He blinked. He felt Kosmo's fur under his hand and saw darkness around him. He straightened and squinted through the darkness. He looked down. "Kosmo, are we on the ship?"

He lifted his maned head and looked up at Lance, tilting it to one side.

"Helpful," he said with a grunt. He reached back and unhooked his red bayard. He outstretched his arm and his Altean broadsword flittered into existence in front of him. He swallowed and walked on, Kosmo in tow.

The further he walked, the stranger he felt. It started as a tightness in the pit of his stomach. Then he saw lights flickering out down the hallway. The feeling crept up toward his chest. Then, he saw an Altean in uniform, unconscious on the ground, their helmet caved in. The feeling made his way up to his throat, making its way around him tighter, still. Further down the hallway, there were more Alteans, more flickering lights, and more questions forming in Lance's mind. By the time he made it to the bridge, the feeling had made its way to Lance's face, heated his face, and made a bead of sweat roll down his temple. He pressed a hand to the door's lock, and they slid apart, revealing the bridge.

Lance felt his entire body go rigid, his free hand tightening in Kosmo's fur.

The room was littered with _fallen_ Alteans. Helmets were broken, weapons scattered, and…. Lance stopped and crouched down. He turned over the body in front of him. "Honerva?"

Kosmo started to whine beside him, and made Lance look up again. The wolf's nose was pointed to a chair that sat in front of the main window. Lance stepped forward.

"So… you finally showed up." The chair swiveled around to face Lance. The Black Paladin was seared with a foot propped up on the edge of the chair and a hand draped over it. He leaned back, twirling around his knife with his other hand.

"Keith!" Lance yelped. His bayard de-transformed, and he rushed forward. "I'm so glad you're alright!"

Then, Keith smirked. "I'm great." He stood and opened his arms up.

As Lance approached, he vaguely registered that Keith was holding out the knife as tears clouded his vision. "Keith!"

He reached out for his leader… his friend… when his breathing stopped.

He slowly glanced down as his hands shook. Blood stained his armor and dripped to the floor in front of him. He struggled to lift his head to meet Keith's eyes.

Keith's eyes were glowing yellow, his pupils formed into slits, and a sharp tooth snagged his upper lip. He chuckled as he grasped Lance's chin, roughly. "You have to die now, Lance."

Keith's voice was enough to get Lance to draw back. He pulled his face out of Keith's hand and drew his bayard. He looked down as tears rolled down his face. The blade was still buried in his abdomen. He sucked in air and glanced to the side. "Kosmo," he ground out.

The wolf whined and disappeared. He reappeared at Lance's side.

Lance whimpered, "Do it."

Kosmo gripped the blade in his mouth. He disappeared along with the blade.

" _Gah!_ " Lance cried out, doubling over and clutching his stomach. "Keith, what the _quiznak_?!"

"Ha.. ha… hahaha!" Keith started to laugh, smiling back at Lance.

"What… what did Honerva do to you?" he asked, his voice breaking as his eyes widened. "Keith…" he said, stepping forward, "let me help you." He reached a hand out.

Keith extended a hand forward, extending his bayard into his own sword, the tip pointed directly at Lance's nose.

Lance crossed his eyes, staring at the blade in front of him. "Don't make me do this." he whispered.

Keith smirked and started to growl.

Lance sucked in a breath. "This isn't you. You're our leader." He tore his eyes away from the blade and stared directly into his eyes. "You might have left once, but I'm not losing you again! Not like this! Ahhh!" He screamed and lunged forward. He managed to push Keith's arm out of his way, throwing his head into Keith's chest. He ran forward with him as Keith's back crashed through the window behind them.

Time slowed to a crawl. The two Paladins started to fall. The soldiers, Paladins, and the rest of the Garrison below collectively screamed or gasped. The eyes of the Red and Black Lions began to shine a brilliant yellow as they both roared. Then Lance and Keith saw darkness.

* * *

When Lance opened his eyes, he was standing in nothingness. There were stars surrounding him on all sides. In particular, he could see a bright, burning red circle near a cool blue one. He vaguely wondered if they were planets. He then recognized it as the astral plane.

At the same time, Keith opened his eyes, still the hue of the Galra, his teeth still razor sharp. He growled as he spotted Lance just yards away.

"Keith," Lance tried. He put his arms out in front of him. "We don't have to do this."

Keith chuckled again. The tone sent a chill down Lance's spine.

Lance stepped closer, slowly, so as not to startle the other Paladin. "You left to find out who you are, and you did! You found your mom, you found that the Blade has a weird way of doing things, but they do it for the good of the universe!"

Keith scoffed and licked his lips.

"We can talk about this," Lance begged. "Please."

Keith growled, crouched, and lunged at Lance.

"Oh quiznak." Lance barely let out before swinging his broadsword up to clash with Keith's blade. Fortunately for Lance, Kosmo likely still had the Marmorite blade.

The two swords shook in both Paladins' grips as they fought for the upper hand.

Lance groaned under the strain. "Keith, stop!"

Keith only growled in response, his nostrils flaring.

Keith roared at Lance as their blades continued to scratch against each other.

Finally, Lance spun back, using the momentum of Keith's sword and wound up getting Keith to stumble. "Not bad for the Sharpshooter, eh Mullet?"

Keith growled and came back at Lance, but this time, he was more prepared. Keith swung at Lance wildly, allowing Lance to dodge with relative ease. "Come on, Samurai, you can do better than that!"

Keith growled before letting a roar tear out of his throat.

Lance felt sweat drip down his neck, but dodged again. "Ace pilot, my ass! Blade of Marmora, my quiznak! Leader of Voltron, my - oof!"

Keith had managed to hit Lance in the back with the flat of his blade. Lance went down hard, hitting the ground. He propped himself up on his elbows and turned himself over. Keith had his sword lowered to Lance's nose again, and smiled.

"Keith… don't." he said, leaning backward, but Keith kept the sword level with Lance's face.

"I've gotta say, Keith, you always have been the one to push me," he said, starting to stand again. He stuck his sword in the ground and pushed up as he wiped the sweat from his forehead. "I guess I'll just have to show you how hard _I've_ been training since you've been gone." He popped out a hip and waved his fingers toward himself. "Show me whatcha got, Ninja."

A roar ripped out of Keith's throat that made Lance second guess his choice to piss him off further, but he knew it was too late to back out. Lance braced himself.

The two swords clashed again and Lance pushed Keith's back enough to take another swing - a _real_ swing at Keith's sword arm. Keith jumped back and swung his own blade mere inches over Lance's head. _Clang!_ Another clash of blades rang out as Keith drew back to swing again. _Clang!_ Another swing of Lance's sword came up short, and Keith managed to swipe a cut just above Lance's eye.

"This isn't working," Lance grit out as he pushed back on Keith once again. When they parted again, Lance stopped. First he gripped his side - which was aching now - and lowered his sword arm, making his bayard return to neutral form. "If you really want to kill me, then do it."

Keith pounced.

He ran forward, tackling Lance to the ground and raised his bayard over Lance's throat. He snarled at Lance, but held the form with his free hand on Lance's shoulder.

"Just do it already," he said. "I won't hurt you. I can't. If this is how it has to be, let it be me."

Keith continued to stare down at Lance, his sword arm shaking as it hovered there.

"You can't do it, can you?"

Keith growled again and lowered the blade against Lance's throat. The edge was pressing enough that blood started to trickle down the blade.

Lance swallowed, his Adam's apple bobbing just below the blade. "Keith, listen to me."

He stayed where he was, not lowering or raising the blade further.

"You and I… we'd always had this rivalry, but we fixed that. We became teammates. When Shiro was gone, and you didn't want to be the leader, we fixed that. When he came back, and you wanted to give up your spot just so I didn't leave, we fixed that. You left for the Blade to go find yourself or whatever, but you came back and we fixed that. You found yourself like you needed to, and I respect that."

Keith's grip on the sword had started to loosen, if ever-so-slightly.

Lance smiled up at Keith, tears brimming at the edges of his eyes. "We push each other. We make each other better. It's what we do. We've always had each other's backs. We… we do make a good team."

Keith's eyes widened.

"Yeah… I do remember that stupid bonding moment," Lance said with a scoff. "Didn't want to admit that you saved my ass. But it doesn't matter because we've done it over and over again since then. Keith… I'd lay down my life for you as my leader, even if that meant not seeing my family and home again."

Keith's arms shook. He grit his teeth. His heart rate sped up. He growled at Lance.

"Come back to me, team leader." Lance said weakly.

"Ahhh!" Keith doubled backward, dropping his bayard to the ground and allowing it to de-transform. He gripped his head as he stumbled backward.

Lance sat up and got to his feet, dropping his own bayard on Keith's as he ran forward. He wrapped his arms around Keith, pinning them to his sides.

Keith roared again and snarled at Lance, even trying to bite at Lance's neck but missing narrowly.

"It's okay," Lance said in a whisper. "I've got you."

Keith roared again, but his body started to relax. He started panting and gasping for air.

Lance pulled back to see that Keith's eyes were clenched shut and his teeth were grit together but back to normal.

Keith opened his eyes. The sclera were white, pupils round, and irises that swirling purple. Just as quickly as Lance saw, those eyes rolled back.

"No, no, no, no, no! Keith? Keith? Stay with me." Lance sputtered out as the Black Paladin fell back into Lance's arms. Keith's eyes closed as Lance collapsed to the floor under his weight. "Come on, Samurai, you've got this. You gotta stay awake."

"Lance…." he croaked.

"I'm here, buddy." he said, his voice cracking as tears streamed down his cheeks.

"I know." he said. He looked up at the stars. "I want to watch the sunset again… with you."

Lance smiled through the tears. "Me too, Keith. Just hold on…."

* * *

Time started again.

Lance opened his eyes. They were falling again, Keith unconscious in his grip. He wrapped his arms around him tighter and turned them over so his own back faced the ground. He turned the jetpack on, but they were falling too fast for it to make a difference.

Lance figured that if he had to choose how to die, this wouldn't be the worst way to go. He had saved Keith from space-knows what horrors Honerva could have turned him into. And he did it all while sparing Keith's life.

His own eyes began to slip closed as the world around him started to darken at the edges. He was only vaguely aware of the pain in his abdomen and hardly registered that he was still bleeding from earlier.

"I got you buddy…." he whispered hoarsely, desperately fighting to hold onto consciousness.

The Red Lion flew up with her jaw open. She roared as she got close enough to catch them out of the sky.

Lance hit the floor of the cockpit and rolled with Keith on top of him. He winced and groaned, but his focus was on the man he was still - somehow - holding in his arms. He looked down to Keith, his breathing ragged. "I've got you, buddy. I'm your right hand… _always_."

* * *

"You should get some sleep tonight," Shiro said, already knowing Lance's automatic response.

"I'm good," he said, leaning back in the chair as he stared intently at the figure in the bed.

Shiro sighed. "Sitting up like that and stressing out isn't going to help you heal."

"I'm not the one that needs to heal." he said gruffly.

"Goodnight Lance," he said, letting the hospital room door shut behind him.

Lance folded his hands and leaned forward onto the bed, his forehead pressed against his fist. "How long…?" he asked the room. "How long… before you come back to us? To me?"

He lifted his head, watching Keith's shallow breathing. "They said you'd wake up…. You hadn't suffered that many injuries…."

But Lance knew. Lance knew the emotional toll going through the astral plane must have put on Keith. He _knew_ the toll quintessence would have on Keith. And he _knew_ … he should have told Keith the truth.

Tears welled in his eyes as he studied him in the bed. He chuckled to himself. "Geez, no one bothered to chop off that stupid mullet while you were sleeping?" he said, water streaking his cheeks.

Lance sniffled and swatted at the tears. "I should have told you the truth. I should have told you a long time ago." He averted his gaze to sniffle again. "Why didn't you let _me_ step down from Voltron? They needed - no. _I_ needed you. I always thought it was weird that you needed to go with the Blade to learn more about your past. And it did lead to you finding your mom. But the truth was that you wanted me to feel needed. And I didn't understand until you were already gone."

Lance sighed as he continued studying Keith's features. His eyebrows were knitted together ever-so slightly. His mouth was tight as the muscles in his jaw flex once in awhile. The monitor tracking Keith's vitals beeped steadily, attached to Keith's arm and chest under his blanket. The oxygen cannula in his nose was the part that got to Lance. "There's so much that you missed because of me." Lance's fist tightened around the sheets. "I just wish you were here now."

He looked down as he sucked in a breath. He clenched his eyes shut as a hiccup escaped him. "You were always so damn reckless," he muttered between sobs. "You tried to get yourself killed for us so many times. I just wanted… I only wanted to save you. But I was too late."

The sound of a muted groan reached Lance's ears. He looked up and saw deep eyes squint against the fluorescent light. The eyes looked up, then to the side to study the monitor, then over to the other side of the bed as the blur began to clear from them.

"Lance…." came the hoarse sound of a strained throat.

Fresh tears started to fall down Lance's cheeks as he scooted the chair closer. He reached for Keith's closest hand and squeezed - albeit gently - to let him know. "God, Keith… you scared me." He let out a chuckle between the sobs.

Keith blinked a few times and lifted his free hand to his face but felt the wires tug and let his hand drop. He strained to pull himself upright, but Lance put a hand on his chest. "It's alright. You're safe now."

"But you're not."

Lance knitted his eyebrows together. "What are you-?"

"I could have killed you," Keith said, his voice strained. He coughed a few times making the monitor flicker.

Lance's mouth opened slightly then shook his head. "I wasn't gonna let that happen. I had to save you, and besides, I knew you wouldn't hurt me."

Keith's lips formed a thin line. "I stabbed you."

Lance let out a nervous laugh. "I was hoping you wouldn't remember."

Keith turned his head to face Lance as best as he could. He squeezed Lance's hand. "You should have killed me."

Lance shook his head. "How - how could you say that?" he practiced yelled. He cleared his throat, fighting to keep his voice even. "Are you nuts?"

"I'd rather die knowing that you're safe. I wouldn't be able to live with myself if I'd… if…." Keith stopped speaking as the monitor beeped a little more rapidly, reflecting his heart rate and erratic breathing. He looked intently at their held hands.

Lance's eyes widened. He squeezed back on Keith's hand and grasped with his other on top. "Don't say that." He surprised himself when his voice shook. "I can't bare the thought of losing you again."

Keith looked up at Lance and surprised him again with narrowed eyes. "It's the truth, damn it." He had wanted to put more force into his words but didn't have the energy for it. "I don't want to live in a world… in any reality… _whatever_ … without you in it. I tried. It doesn't work."

Lance sat in silence. He always had something to say, but not to that.

"I should have told you a long time ago. But I knew how you felt about Allura…. _I_ didn't even know how to come to terms with it, growing up in Texas like that… I was an outcast, as you already know from my getting kicked from the Garrison. But when I finally figured it out, I just wanted you to be happy. That was enough for me. I'm sorry… I'm shitty at this." Keith turned his head away, evidently forcing back the water in his eyes.

"Keith…. God, I'm such an idiot," Lance said, throwing his head back and slapping his forehead with the hand not currently holding Keith's. "I only started to figure out how much you really meant to me… no. That's not true."

Keith turned back to face Lance, a question on his lips.

Lance sighed. "The truth is...I-I knew before then. I only _accepted_ it once you left. Then I realized how much of a wreck I was without you. Sitting in my room, playing Killbot Phantasm for all hours of the night…."

Keith's mouth hung open as he studied Lance.

Lance broke. He rubbed the back of his neck and looked away. "So uh… I guess that was kind of like a bonding moment or something, huh?"

Keith's eyes blasted wide open. "Did you just admit that we had a bonding moment?"

Lance smirked. "Did _you_ just admit that you've been enraptured by Lover Boy Lance all this time?"

Keith chuckled briefly but coughed from the strain. Lance squeezed his hand again, reassuringly. Keith looked back up to Lance's watery, shining blue eyes.

With what little strength he had, he summoned it all to pull Lance's hand down and his face to his level. Keith strained against the wires with his other hand to grip the back of Lance's head and press his dry lips to Lance's own soft ones. Lance let out a noise of surprise before closing his eyes and reciprocating with just as much gusto.

Lance leaned onto the bed - careful not to put any weight on Keith - and enveloped all that he could grasp. He gently pressed a hand to Keith's chest and gripped as the bare skin just above the bandages.

Keith cupped Lance's cheek in his hand, sending a shiver down Lance's spine.

Before Keith could lose himself, Lance pulled back, out of breath. "Dude!"

"What?" Keith said, breathlessly. A brief moment of panic seized his chest.

"Your monitors!" Lance squeaked, flailing his free arm at the machine next to the bed. The other was still holding himself up beside Keith's head.

Keith smirked. "Do I look like I care about that right now?"

Lance swallowed. "Not really."

Keith chuckled. He tilted his head to the side and laid a soft kiss on Lance's wrist.

In that moment, Lance's face felt boiling hot. "Wh-whoa-whoa-wait! I need to go tell the others! I have to tell Shiro and your mom-!"

"Screw the others," Keith said. "I love you."

"You - you're - you're crazy!"

"Am I?" he said, and quirked an eyebrow.

Lance mentally cursed. "No."

Keith waited patiently just as he'd done for the past few years.

"I love you too."

"Then kiss me, Sharpshooter."

Lance didn't need to be told twice. He dove back down to meet him.

Briefly, he pulled back. "Wait!"

"Laaaance…." Keith groaned.

"Does this mean I get to have a say in what happens to the mullet?"

"Not on your life."

Lance groaned more dramatically than necessary but let himself be pulled back to Keith's waiting lips.


End file.
